do i really tawk like dis?

[Chrisobean]

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this may be one of the dumbest questions. but as we all know, there arent dumb questions, just dumb people 🙂

during an interview, has anyone caught themselves using the word "like" or "whatever" or "know what i mean" or other slang or even almost cursing?

i seem to have a problem with the word "like", it comes out so easily half the time i dont even know i am saying it. and i think it makes me sound like an idiot. i even say it when i discuss science with my boss, how bad is that?

i was just wondering if anyone else had this problem and if anything can be done to, like, fix it.

spanks!

 

[exmike]

first, you can stop using the words "spanks"

 

[dr.doolittle]

Nervous habit...lots of people do it...at least you're aware of it. Try the old speech trick of making yourself pause silently when you're trying to come up with a word/idea/question. Listen to the people around you, too. I'm sure you'll find that your friends have similar speech patterns. "Like" is horribly addictive and, yes, it does make you sound less intelligent. I've picked up some bad habits from my 24-year-old office mate. Not only does she use "like," yesterday she explained to our advisor/boss how the website I'm designing for our lab is "stylin'" among other things. I cleared up the definitions for the new "hip lingo" for our boss, but I was embarassed.

 

[Tiki]

I have two interviews coming up and I'm terrified I'm going to start...um...talking....um like....this. 🙂

 

[ForensicPath]

I definitely have made a conscious effort to stop using the word "like" lately. I catch myself all the time. The "ummm" has been a bit more difficult for me to get rid of. I use "umm" when I am pausing to collect my thoughts or even in between sentences. However, I use "ummm" more rarely than "like," which might be why it has more more difficult to catch myself and get rid of that habit.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Talk at a slow and reasonable pace. Think about what you are going to say. In my opinion, I think the adcoms will view you as more eloquent, and at the very least more thoughtful.

Also, it is okay to admit to a difficult question. Buy some time by saying you would like to think about it for a few seconds. It will allow you to formulate your thoughts, and respond in an intelligent manner. This shows that you are the type of person to think something through, and not the type of person who shoots off at the mouth. 🙂

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Oh, and mock interviews are a must if this is a problem. Have the mock interviewer give you feedback on any strange mannerisms (verbal, physical motions, nervous habits, etc.) that you need to work on.

 

[boomuntilnoon]

Heh, I have cursed during my interviews, and they were not slips either... even uttered the word "******" once too. In all these instances, I was being completely honest and candid... if they do not like what I have to say, then odds are that I probably would not enjoy myself there anyway.

 

[hale-bopp]

I said that something "sucked" at one of my interviews, and my interviewer responded by using the same phrase back to me. The interview was really casual and informal, which is probably why it slipped out, but I guess it wasn't a big deal, since I got in anyway.

 

[potuhusky]

pull a paris-hilton and tape your mock interview. count how many times you say "like," "whatever," "umm," etc. when you tally up, you just might blush like the hotel princess herself.

tip: don't answer your cell phone right in the middle of things like she did.

 

[PreMedAdAG]

YOU MUST BE FROM CALI!!!

Dude.. I totally know what you mean by the "like".. it's like a nervous twitch for us californians.. I have the same problem when I'm talking to people so I've made it a goal to practice talking to people without using like...
then I slow down when I interview.. and then when I'm stuttering over my words.. intsead of saying Like or Umm..

I try to think of smarter words.........

for example, in regards to, in terms of, for instance, or just not talking at all for a moment.. slience can be great... it's not always awkward.. at least you're thinking about what you're going to say....

good luck

 

[Biryani]

if you conciously substituted the word umm for like, and then nevertheless for umm...and so forth until you're using a different word to link your thoughts...would that be satisfactory?

I guess not...it sounds almost like how the government created morphine to cure opium addiction, and then heroin to cure the morphine addiction. ah well.

 

[CoverMe]

I too am from California and I have somehow grown out of the "like" habit (at least I believe I have!!). However, I'm now 30, so if I was long past due to do so.

Every once in a while I do a self check for "ummmmming"... after leaving a voice mail for a friend, i replay the message and see how much of an eeeediot I've managed to sound like. I find that the faster i speak, the more "ums" get thrown in there.

um. anyway. try the cell phone thing, it's like, scary.

 

[musiclink213]

i stopped using "like" all the time, but i still talk with the famed New Yawk accent. I'm working with my sister, who is in school to be a speech pathologist, to get rid of it, and it works while i'm in school, but when i go to home, back to NY, the accent just comes right back. I don't know what i'm going to do if I interview at one of the NY schools.

 

[Chrisobean]

i probably have THE worst NY accent... AND i say like all the time. bad news. but my accent doesnt bother me, i like it, i think it adds to my personality. except when i go down south or up north and people ask me to say "coffee" or "dog". i dont get that, but i guess its like asking boston-ers to say "park your car in harvard yard" or canadians to say "about". (no offense to either, i love both places!)
so i wouldnt worry too much about the accent, everyone has one!

but all this "like" and "um" business... i have been really making a conscious effort to stop it. although cell phone messages always pose a problem, i guess since its my friends i am talking to, i dont care so much if i sound like an idiot, they know i am one anyway 🙂
but that definitely is one of my new years resolutions (along with the standard lose 10 pounds!)

i wonder if that would be bad to talk about if im asked about a weakness i have? good communication skills are essential for a doctor. will saying mine are bad be a huge strike against me, even though i am trying to improve, and there has already been a big improvement. hmmm...

 

[ForensicPath]

First of all New Yorkers do not have accents, the rest of the country does. People can always pinpoint that I am from Lawn-Guyland by my "accent." I am always asked to say "water," "mall," "ball," etc..

I don't think saying "like" and "umm" means you have bad communication skills. It is just an annoying habit that some people have to grow out of. It is the worst when I am speaking informally. Thats when the good ol' phrase "He was like...." comes out.

 

[SaltySqueegee]

Originally posted by Chrisobean
i wonder if that would be bad to talk about if im asked about a weakness i have? good communication skills are essential for a doctor. will saying mine are bad be a huge strike against me, even though i am trying to improve, and there has already been a big improvement. hmmm...

However, if you do admit to this weakness, comment on how you are trying to make a conscious effort at fixing the problem. It is better to admit to a problem, and say you are trying your best to fix it, then to have the problem surface during the interview and not to mention it at all!

Honesty and openness is extremely important. Doctors are not perfect, and they all need to be aware of their weaknesses. That is exactly why the question, "Tell me a few of your weaknesses?", is asked.

 

[Chrisobean]

Originally posted by ForensicPath
First of all New Yorkers do not have accents, the rest of the country does.

you are so right... i avoided saying that in fear of getting flamed! hehehehehehehehe

now us accent-less people can band together against the rest of the US!

i get abused when i say staten island b/c people tell me it comes out like one big word = statinuyland.
but that is the proper way to say it, as is lawn-guyland!

 

[PreMedAdAG]

ha ha.. this thread has turned out to be rather funny. When i went to new york last, everyone was asking me to say "taco".

I said it: TAWKO

They told me I sounded british because I didn't say TACKO with a flat A.. it was pretty funny

you ny'ers defintely have an accent, as do us californians.. how bout those north dakotans.. from FARGO dontcha know!


😛